Category Science & Technology
Researchers assess impact of lock failure on Upper Mississippi River freight
They say the cost to invest in maintaining the locks and dams should be weighed against the cost of seeing them fail and their cargo being diverted from the river onto highways.
Freely shared satellite data improves weather forecasting
UW–Madison scientists specialize in receiving and processing data from satellites for use by everyone from other researchers and meteorologists to the general public.
Remembering astronaut Laurel Clark, 15 years after Columbia tragedy
Clark, a UW–Madison graduate, was killed along with six other crew members when the space shuttle disintegrated upon re-entering Earth's atmosphere.
From fungi to humans, ‘smart valves’ assist communication within, between cells
Trees. Fungi. Monkeys. Fish. Your aunt and uncle. Without fusion pores built of SNARE proteins, they can't exist.
Colorado potato beetle genome gives insight into major agricultural pest
The new information sheds light on how this insect jumps to new plant hosts and handles toxins, and it will help researchers explore more ways to control the beetle.
Stellar magnetism: What’s behind the most brilliant lights in the sky?
"The best picture yet of magnetic reconnection in space” offer insight into the role of magnetic reconnection in celestial explosions, eruptions and extraordinary emissions of energy.
Family tree traces the history of UW’s chemistry department
The current chemistry faculty is linked to the founders of modern chemistry in a 200+ year-old "chemical genealogy" laid out in three posters in the Chemistry Building.
Urban foxes and coyotes learn to set aside their differences and coexist
Diverging from centuries of established behavioral norms, red fox and coyote have gone against their wild instincts and learned to coexist in the urban environment of Madison and the University of Wisconsin–Madison campus.
An Achilles heel discovered in viruses could fuel new antiviral approaches
Scientists at the Morgridge Institute for Research have discovered a promising new target to fight a class of viruses responsible for health threats such as Zika, polio, dengue, SARS and hepatitis C.
Bio-renewable process could help ‘green’ plastic
Plastics are often derived from petroleum, but Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center scientists at UW–Madison are developing new and renewable ways of creating them from biomass.
Report: Focusing on advanced energy sensors and controls could mean 44,000 jobs for Wisconsin
With targeted investments and forward-looking policies, Wisconsin could capitalize on its strengths in sensors and controls for the advanced energy industry to drive economic growth and support over 44,000 jobs annually.
Cakes make for delicious, approachable science outreach
For 14 years, Ahna Skop, a professor of genetics, has baked a cake to celebrate each of her lab’s academic publications and graduating students.
UW Arboretum joins the Monarch Joint Venture
The first arboretum to partner with the MJV, the UW Arboretum joins more than 70 other partner institutions dedicated to researching monarch butterflies, conserving their habitat, and educating about the charismatic insects.
Radar adds technological twist to age-old cranberry counting process
UW electrical and computer engineers, acting on an idea from a Wisconsin cranberry grower, have developed a device to make a laborious, time-consuming process more efficient.
Invasive worms spreading in Arboretum forests, limited effects so far
Despite Asian jumping worms’ known appetite for leaf litter and tendency to change soil nutrients, researchers found limited evidence of changes to vegetation in areas where the worms have invaded the UW–Madison Arboretum.
Waisman research into rare syndrome offers hope for families
Waisman Center research into the molecular mysteries of Rett Syndrome may ultimately help an 8-year-old girl who suffers from the rare neurological disorder.
Lethal management of wolves in one place may make things worse nearby
Farms that had a wolf killed experienced a 27 percent decrease in risk of another attack, but it was offset by a 22 percent increase at a number of farms in the same township.
Scouting the eagles: Evidence that protecting nests aids reproduction
Reproduction among bald eagles in a remote national park in Minnesota was aided when their nests were protected from human disturbance, according to a new study.
Wisconsin corridor turns testbed for connected vehicle technology
A team of UW–Madison researchers and Madison traffic engineers are establishing a testbed for a connected vehicle corridor on Madison's Park Street, to explore the future of transportation technology.
New stem cell method sheds light on a telltale sign of heart disease
A regenerative biology team at the Morgridge Institute for Research led by Dave Vereide unexpectedly unearthed a powerful new model for studying a hallmark of vascular disease.